TRADING WITH YOUR TALENT

Everyone wants to be successful in life and the reason for this is to become powerful, having influence on others. We so much desire success in life that we pay less attention to the power we need to be successful. Recently, I asked few friends which of the statements below is true;

I need success to be powerful
I need power to be successful

The larger half of the respondents said they need success to be powerful and this is true (but not to mean other statement is wrong) . But we need to know that we've got within us the power to succeed.

To become successful and have influence on others, it must begin with you. John Maxwell in his book "Today matters" identified that the first step towards success includes starting with you. You need to put the power within to work to be truly successful and powerful. This power is the natural ability to do something(s). Yes, we call it TALENT.

Here are the steps to make your talent profitable

A) Identify The Power

What do you like doing naturally? People call your attention to the fact that you are doing it well but to you its just normal. You don't even get exhausted easily while in the act. Sometimes we use this power negatively, but there could be a positive reaction to it.

B) Put The Power To Work

Power is the ability to do work. Give response to the power within after you have discovered it. Use that power to work for people, with or without immediate pay. When we work without getting paid, we say we are working F.O.C. (Free of charge), but every work has a reward. We could get a seed or a fruit reward for the work we do. When we think we work F.O.C, what we get is seed reward which is worthless (monetarily) at the moment. Sure, it takes time for it to become fruits, but the reward is greater. I'm sure Joseph (first Egypt's prime minister) wasn't paid money for the dreams he interpreted for the king's officials in the dungeon. But after two years, the work he did for 'free' secured him a greater work which he got instant and lasting rewards for. That is seed reward for you.

C) Convert The Work To "Food"

Converting work to food means to love the work you do. Before you turn your work to food, make sure it is the work you like to do. It takes feeling to like but it takes decision to love. Turning your work to food is going the extra mile with your talent. When you move from liking what you do to loving what you do, what you get is speed in your success journey. Many people don't like the work they are doing (talk less of loving), but they stay on the job because of the pay.Today, good job is erroneously determined by good pay(money reward).

D) Give Diligence To The Work

What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Don't just be good at what you do, always work on becoming better than good at it. Diligence at your work will bring you riches and greatness-availing you the opportunity of standing before great people. The first appointment of King David Jesse of Israel (one of the greatest kings in history) in the palace was as a result of diligence in the playing of musical instrument. The king's official that recommended him to King Saul said "I know someone. I have seen him myself: the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, an excellent musician. He's also courageous, of age, well-spoken, and good-looking. And God is with him"

David was not just into music, he was doing it well, and that is excellence. Excellence is the product of diligence. Diligence talks about practice, doing what you do on and on. Maybe you are thinking that happened in the past. Lately, I was showing a friend a musical video on the new Nigeria and he identified the musician as the personal photographer of Nigeria's President. I am certain she got the President's attention and that job through diligence with her talent (music).

E) Power (Talent) Is Never Enough

I have said so much about talent but I also believe talent alone is not enough to be successful. Power or talent can be a necessary condition but it is not in all, the sufficient condition for success. So if it is not enough to guarantee success in life, then what and what do we need to complete the success model? I believe lessons on greatness can be learnt from the account of great men. So I want us to look further into the curriculum vitae that was presented to King Saul about David Jesse. Aside from talent, the official went further and said some things about David.These are what makes the success equation complete. Join us tommorrow as we reflect on them briefly

Abiodun Sowemimo

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ENJOY LIFE DAILY

Being happy is a mindset and you can achieve it easily. Look at life and how many people breath in this world. You will see that you are not the only one. The feeling of hope will rush through your body and you will come to a very great realization. A blissful and joyful thought will flow into your mind because you will know that evey person goes through something negative in their life and achieve great success at the same time.

We as human beings are created to achieve great success in this world and enjoy life as it was given to as by a higher power. Whatever your mindset may be, you can choose to enjoy life right now. What you focus on the most, you tend to attract into your life. Change your focus and start paying attention to everything around you and be grateful for what you have.

Take a paper and a pen and write down what you are grateful for. See the things you own and be grateful for those things and you will be surprised how happy you will get.


There is no emotion better than love. Now you may have heard people say love is bad because you may get your heart broken. I am not talking about that kind of love. I mean love as in you look at everyone around you as your brother and sister. This will create a very positive energy and people will feel what you are thinking and they will give you back the same emotion.

We are all made up of energy, and it is no surprise that lots of successful people say this. They use this energy to attract success in their life and in return they are always very happy and enjoy life. Enjoy life daily because there is no return match!!!



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GROWING FROM FAILURE

Success and failures are parts of our lifespan. They can drop us in the valley of grief and happiness depending on the situation. But how to deal with these circumstances is the most important aspect everybody should be aware of.

Many people think that being a failure everything is ended and nothing left. I remember the words of Godwin Uwu'bamen of His Treasure House Abuja," There are two kinds of failure. The first is failure as an event and the second is failure as a person. If a person refuses to get up after a failed attempt, then he has failed as a person."

Failure isn't the final verdict. No! Here the life starts. This is the phase that is full of new flavor.

What you need to recognize is:

Failure is your new weapon to win the battle and to reach the destination.

Failures are the steps towards success. You have to climb all of them.

There is no gigantic philosophy in success. Failures will show you more precise path towards success.

What you have to do:

You just need to focus on "what you are" and "where you are".

The basic rule that you should keep in your mind is "Understanding" and "Plan". Every success can certainly be achieved with plan and understanding.

If you follow above points they will lead you towards your failure spots and you can easily lookout and identify your all mistakes. After that you need a plan and you have to overcome those mistakes. In your next attempt by removing those mistakes you can make more points in success. May be those points you cannot achieve in first attempt.


So failures are playing a very important role towards your success. If you want to achieve high goals then maybe you have to pass the phases of failures which will motivate you on the way to a new day. Be motivated and be strong. You can do it. You can achieve the success, it is just right in front of you. Just enhance your understanding, learn from failures and create a perfect plan. Pronto!


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ITS YOUR LIFE

Events in life happen, for everyone. You have to run YOUR race, stay the course and finish strong. In the middle to end of each race it gets hard. Events happen that can derail your mental stamina requiring you to make a choice. You can dig in, dig deep and push through, or you can whine. Only one option will get you the results you want. Don't make a poor temporary choice that will have a negative long-term result.

1) Your interpretation of events makes all the difference.

Drawing comparisons with others in a defeating way is counterproductive and pointless. Everyone is running their own race with their own unique set of variables. Run YOUR race and let them run theirs.

2) Get a different perspective.

If you find yourself in the middle of your life race getting bogged down, seek out a new perspective. Someone on the outside, not emotionally involved can help you think about life in a way that can change your entire world. At least once a month you need to hear yourself say, "Oh, I never thought about it that way."

3) Don't take yourself too seriously.

Find something in life that you really enjoy, and that isn't just about performance or results. Then figure out a way to incorporate that into your life. It will breathe life into your soul. Life is serious enough, you don't have to add to it.

Interpret your life events in a productive way. Never draw negative comparisons. Get an outside perspective if needed and definitely don't take yourself too seriously. Run YOUR race, and I will run mine.


NB. Please remember the families of victims of terrorist activities. in Westgate mall, Nairobi Kenya and Benisheik,North-East Nigeria in your prayers.


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AGAINST ALL ODDS

Even if you have a bad day, even if you feel blue for some reason, even if you think everything goes wrong, never lose hope for the things to come back on track.

You know, sometimes it seems nothing good awaits you. You see only dark clouds in the sky while the sun is shining. And against all odds, you should stand on your feet, rise your head up to the bright skies above you and never lose hope. You must realize that you deserve a better life.

John C. Maxwell has just published his brand new book: "Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn". He tells you very clearly that hope is the motivation of learning. If you can't find in yourself enough hope, it is nearly impossible for you to start learning new things in the world. The truth is you need to be constantly in the know in order to be successful. Never lose hope, otherwise you won't see the motivation necessary to continue the process of learning.

If you are on the way of personal development, you often might feel a ray of hope flowing through your mind. Why is that? You read a good and helpful book or you listen to the extremely informative audio . And those activities give you the strength to hope for more.

Never lose hope and you will find out how bright your future may be.

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of bestselling book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" is sure that you should never lose hope, despite any circumstances you face in the world.

According to Kiyosaki, you've spent years pursuing your dreams with your eyes closed listening to the directions of other people who claim to have your best interests at heart. It's time to break away and escape this rat race. Never lose hope and start creating your own future. It's time to open your eyes.

According to John Maxwell, as a leader you should add value to others and give them hope they need to survive. Leadership is all about giving hope. Your followers must believe the impossible is possible for them.

Have in mind that no one can afford to experience the loss of hope. If you lose hope, that may be your last loss, because when hope is gone, so is motivation and the ability to learn.

As Maxwell puts it in his newest book:

"Hope sings when all melodies are gone. It believes when the evidence is limited".

If you are put in a position to face trouble, adversity or conflicts, never lose hope. In these cases, hope is all you need to make you stronger. Hope provides the power that energizes you with life. It keeps you going when times are tough and it creates excitement in you for the future.

That's why you must be always reminded to never lose hope.

John Maxwell thinks it's no coincidence that people who suffer with depression often lack energy. Lack of hope and lack of energy usually go hand in hand. You must be filled with energy to never lose hope. I leave you with the words of Matthew Ashimolow: "It is not over until you win.".

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COMFORT ZONE

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent
 falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he
 had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

 Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one
 of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird
 had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.
 The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the
 land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented
 the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the
 palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried
 everything else, the king thought to himself, "May be I need someone more
 familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem."
 So he cried out to his court, "Go and get a farmer."

 In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the
 palace gardens. He said to his court, "Bring me the doer of this
 miracle."
 

 The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The
 king asked him, "How did you make the falcon fly?"

 With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, " It was very easy, your
 highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting."

 We are all made
 to fly-- to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But instead
 of doing that, we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar
 to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they remain
 undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, the mundane. So for
 the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and
 fulfilling.

 So let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to
 the glory of flight !!!!!!!
Have a great week! 



Temitope Bolarinwa


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A CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT

It's going to happen sooner or later. Someone or something will come along and remind us of our past. Maybe an old relation or simply walking by a certain location.

Depending on the circumstances those reminders can can either bring back good or bad memories and feelings. Perhaps a combination of both.

Like it or not, realization once again sets in that nothing, absolutely nothing can be done to change events of the past.

If one can't learn to shake those uneasy feelings quickly they may find themselves continually stuck in a destructive pattern. Locked in a virtual prison of past mistakes and bad choices.

Not only will this pattern hinder you from forgiving others that may have played a part in a troublesome past, most often it challenges the ability to forgive one's self.

A better alternative is to learn how to resist this urge quickly. Make a choice not to be a captive of the past and be more determined to have a better future.

One should never get to the point of thinking they have fully made it. That could be considered arrogant in some ways. Neither should one give up on deciding to do better. That would be a form of self defeat.

The balance in between the two seems to lie in the acceptance of what can be changed along with a resolution of what cannot.

Never think it's too late to make a change. It is never too late. Each new day brings some very special opportunities.

The most exciting thing about a new day's journey is knowing that if we so choose we do not have to go it alone. For God is willing and able to come alongside and help.

Each new day is a gift from God and it signifies we have yet another chance to make better choices and decisions. Another chance to get it right.

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